LETTER: Twisting The Scriptures For Guns

February 06, 2013

It is not right to abuse holy scripture by taking individual Bible verses out of context and twisting their meaning. In the Feb. 1 letter "Jesus For Gun Rights," the writer quotes Luke 11:21-22 to claim that Jesus would be in favor of the right to bear assault weapons. If one reads the entire Bible passage from which this quote has been lifted, it is clear that Jesus is not talking about guns at all, but is just using a metaphor.

I doubt that Jesus would approve of the use of weapons. Jesus lived under the tyranny of the Roman occupation and was arrested under Roman law, yet during his arrest, he would not even allow his disciples to defend him with a sword, saying "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52) -- but don't take my word for it; read it for yourself.

This is the same Jesus who said "Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also." That is found at Matthew 5:39, but once again, one should read the entire section. One may or may not care to obey the teachings of Jesus, but one can't just conveniently change them. Elizabeth Zownir, Manchester